N.J. student's whooping cough prompts parent concerns

Administrators told parents whose children are showing signs of a cold to see a doctor immediately.

CHERRY HILL TWP. -- A student at Cherry Hill High School East was diagnosed with whooping cough last week, according to school administrators.

In a letter sent home to parents on Jan. 21, Prinicpal Dr. Lawyer Chapman said the student was in the school with cold and cough symptoms during the week of Jan. 11, but has not been to school since Jan. 15.

Chapman said they will monitor the situation and will notify parents if additional actions are needed to help control the spread of the disease.

Also known as pertussis, whooping cough starts out a lot like a normal cold, but the symptoms become much worse after a week or two. The school said people with the disease tend to go through coughing fits that could be followed by vomiting and difficultly catching their breath.

Chapman said the risk of catching whooping cough is higher if someone is not up to date on their pertussis vaccine shots, but warned that even children who have gotten their shots can still get the disease.

The principal told parents whose kids starts showing symptoms of a cold to talk with their doctor immediately and let him or her know about the case of whooping cough at the school.